Cosine vs Dosu (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dosu grades higher than Cosine: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dosu grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cosine
Coding agent for terminal, desktop and cloud, with sovereign models
Dosu
Shared knowledge layer that keeps docs and coding agents in sync
Which one is for you
Pick Cosine if
- Fits if you want a coding agent in the terminal with a choice of models
- Works for a developer who wants cloud agents and an air-gapped option
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it free, as the cheapest plan is $19 a month
- Watch out: credits are used at different multipliers by model, so 4M credits is a moving target
- Not for you if you want a Windows or Linux desktop app, as the desktop page offers Mac only
- Watch out: the pricing page lists three tiers, the billing docs six, with different names
Pick Dosu if
- Fits if your team wants docs that follow code changes in GitHub or GitLab
- Works for open-source maintainers, since public repositories are free
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your code is private: the free plan covers public repositories only
- Pricey if you pay monthly, because the $16 price is the yearly rate and $192 is charged upfront
- Skip it if you rely on Linear, which is an Enterprise integration
- Watch out: extra credits can be added on Pro but their price is not published
- Watch out: the Pro trial length is not stated
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACosineWeak | 2.4GPADosuFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is $19 a month for 4M credits, at the top of the cheaper quarter, but how far credits go depends on the model. | BPro is $16 a month on yearly billing ($192 upfront), under the category's $19.99 cheaper-quarter start. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the pricing page. | CFree gives 200 credits a month but only on public repositories, so private code means paying. |
| Features | CCLI, desktop, cloud agents, swarm mode and model choice, but pages disagree on the tiers. | CSelf-updating pull-request docs, doc generation, an MCP server and chat. Linear and custom integrations are Enterprise only, and extra credits have no published price. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The CLI is the main way in and the docs cover install and sign-in. | CNo rating on record. You connect repositories and knowledge sources before it does anything. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb, Mac, Windows and Linux with four integrations; the desktop page offers Mac only and there are no phone apps. | BWeb product with GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Confluence, Notion and Coda links plus an MCP server and CLI. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | a command-line coding agent with a desktop app | docs that update as your code changes |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cosine and Dosu. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cosine starts at $19 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Dosu starts at $16 a month and scores 2.3.
Dosu scores higher and starts $3 a month lower. Of the other AI agents on the chart, 19 score higher than Cosine for less, and 1 scores higher than Dosu for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Cosine also covers workflow automation.
- Dosu also covers chat assistant and wiki.
At a glance
| Cosine | Dosu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month, including 4M credits | $16 per month, billed annually ($192 upfront) |
| Free plan | None | 200 credits a month, public repositories only. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial of Pro offered; length not stated on the page |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Cosine | Dosu |
| Price read from | cosine.sh | dosu.dev |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cosine
- There is no free plan or free trial on the pricing page; the cheapest plan is $19 a month.
- Usage is billed in credits, and different models use them at different multipliers, so how far 4M credits goes depends on the model chosen.
- The pricing page lists three tiers, while the billing docs list six (Starter, Builder, Team, Scale, Professional and Enterprise) with different names for the $199 and $999 tiers.
- The desktop page offers a Mac download only; the CLI docs cover macOS (Apple Silicon only), Linux and Windows.
Dosu
- The Free plan is limited to public repositories and 200 credits a month.
- The $16 Pro price is shown on the annual setting, as $192 billed upfront; the monthly-billing price was not readable.
- Linear and custom integrations are Enterprise only; Pro covers Slack, Confluence, Notion and Coda.
- Extra credits can be added on Pro, but the page does not give their price.
Key features
Cosine
- CLI coding agent
- The cos command runs the agent in a terminal alongside your editor and tests. Every agent turn is saved as a lightweight git commit, so changes can be undone.
- Desktop app
- A native app for working on local project folders, with plan review, diffs, and built-in browser and terminal panels. The product page offers a Mac download.
- Cloud agents
- Tasks can run in remote workspaces, each session in an isolated microVM, so long jobs continue after your laptop is closed. The site says 20 or more agents can run in parallel.
- Swarm mode and memory
- An orchestrator can spawn child agents that work in parallel, and project conventions persist across sessions.
- Model choice
- The model list includes Cosine's own Lumen models along with models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, each with a credit multiplier.
- Sovereign and air-gapped deployment
- For regulated organizations the company offers fully air-gapped, managed single-tenant and public cloud options.
Dosu
- Self-documenting pull requests
- Documentation is updated when the code it describes changes.
- Doc generation and sync
- Dosu writes docs from a description you give it and can connect to existing documentation to maintain it in place.
- Shared knowledge for agents
- Coding agents connect over MCP and contribute what they learn, so other agents reuse it instead of re-discovering it.
- Source integrations
- GitHub and GitLab repositories on all plans, and Slack, Confluence, Notion and Coda on Pro and above.
- Observability and analytics
- Pro adds views of what the team is working on and what Dosu's contribution has been.
Plans
Cosine
Starter$19
per month, for 4M credits a month
For solo developers and side projects. Extra credits cost $6.50 per 1M.
Team$199
per month, for 47M credits a month
For growing teams. Extra credits cost $5.00 per 1M. The billing docs name this $199 tier Scale and list a $99 tier for 23M credits.
Enterprise$999
per month, for 240M credits a month
For highly regulated industries. Extra credits cost $4.50 per 1M. The pricing page also invites teams to ask about a more custom arrangement.
Dosu
Free$0
200 credits a month, public repositories only, self-documenting PRs, doc generation, MCP server and web chat.
Pro$16
per month, billed annually ($192 upfront)
4,000 credits a month, private repositories, private knowledge bases, Slack, Confluence, Notion and Coda, analytics.
EnterpriseCustom
Credits as needed, SSO and custom RBAC, audit logs, Linear and custom integrations, Slack support.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cosine or Dosu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dosu is cheaper to start with: $16 a month, against $19 a month for Cosine. Cosine starts at $19 per month, including 4M credits, and Dosu starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($192 upfront).
Which has a free plan, Cosine or Dosu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dosu has a free plan. Cosine does not.
Which platforms do Cosine and Dosu run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Cosine lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.